It has become traditional to landscape grounds surrounding both communities and individual dwelling areas with vegetation and, in particular, it has become commonplace to use vegetated surface areas comprising grass or other ground coverings. Many of these vegetated surfaces are of the type that require periodic mowing in order for the surface to appear neat and well-maintained. Not only does periodic mowing make for a neater appearance, but also the resulting trimmed ground covering provides a more pleasant surface for leisure activities for children and adults alike.
Because of the need to periodically mow vegetated surfaces, a variety of different mowing apparatus have historically been developed. In modern times, two primary forms of mowing apparatus are prevalent. A first type, the reel-type mower, utilizes a plurality of sickle-like blades, each of which is curved along the cylindrical surface of an imaginary cylinder between brackets that are journaled for rotation on the longitudinal axis of the cylinder. The sickle blades are oriented transversely to the direction of travel of the mowing apparatus as it is advanced across the surface. As the group of sickle blades rotate, each blade is consecutively spun downwardly towards the vegetation and across the vegetated surface so that the vegetated surface is mowed in a plane tangential to the imaginary cylinder. While reel-type mowers may be power driven, they are typically hand operated with a pair of ground engaging wheels supporting the sickle blades for rotation and a gear assembly provided so that rotation of the wheels across the surface impart rotation to the sickle blades through a shaft connected to the gear assembly. An example of a reel-type mower is found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,834,964 issued Dec. 8, 1931 to Nichols.
A second type of mowing apparatus is commonly referred to as a rotary-type mower. Here, one or more blades are rotated in a housing that is supported by wheels on the support surface. Each blade is relatively flat in appearance and is spun in a plane that is parallel to the surface. End edge portions of the blades are sharpened to sever the vegetation as the mower is advanced across the vegetated surface. Usually, the rotary blades are power driven by a gasoline engine or an electric motor, and the mower apparatus itself may be either pushed or propelled by the motive source. In some instances where the unit is power driven, the operator rides on a seat provided on the mowing apparatus.
Heretofore, it has been recognized that a mowing apparatus may be propelled by a pedal operated vehicle such as a bicycle, tricycle and the like. Notwithstanding such recognitions, use of pedal driven mowing apparatus has not gained wide-spread acceptance. Recent interest by the population in increased physical exercise coupled with revived interests in bicycles and an increased awareness of the impact of activities on the environment all suggest that the use of pedal operated mowing apparatus be revisited.
Examples of pedal-operated reel-type mowing apparatus are found in U.S. Pat. No. 613,834 issued Nov. 8, 1898 to Burnet and in U.S. Pat. No. 1,713,396 issued May 14, 1929 to Rountree. In the Burnet patent, a reel-type mower is located between front and rear axles of a tricycle assembly. The pedal assembly drives the rear axle on which a pair of drive wheels are located. A second chain drive extends forwardly from the axle to the reel-type cutter which is suspended from the handlebars of the vehicle by means of a chain. The Rountree patent discloses a pedal operated vehicle having a pair of rear wheels with a pair of front wheels being provided by a reel-type mowing apparatus. The pedal assembly operates the rear wheels through a first chain drive and a second chain drive extends forwardly to interconnect to a shaft provided with a bevel gear that drives an incline shaft which extends forwardly to a differential that provides the drive power for the reel-type mower.
A more recent attempt at developing pedal operated mowers is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,816 issued Jun. 26, 1984 to Porath. This patent discloses a reel-type mower mounted on a transverse axle extending between a rear pair of wheels on a tricycle frame. A chain drive interconnects the wheel axle and a pedal assembly so that the operator, who sits on a seat on the tricycle frame, may operate the pedal apparatus which, through the chain drive, rotates the drive axle for the rear wheels. Rotation of the drive axle also rotates the sickle blades of the reel-type mower.
Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,058 issued Jul. 27, 1982 to Chun, a rotary-type mower is shown to be driven by an exercycle-type bicycle. Here, the pedal assembly both drives a rear wheel while at the same time operates a bevel gear drive for a vertically extending drive shaft of a rotary mower that is suspended between the front and rear wheels of the bicycle assembly. A pair of minor wheels may be moved into and out of position to transform the mowing apparatus into a stationary-type exercise bicycle.
It may be appreciated from a review of these existing mowing apparatus that each is constructed so as to be a specialized piece of equipment. Thus, each requires somewhat bulky storage when not in use and, with the exception of the Chun apparatus which is designed to be an exercise unit, is only used on the isolated periodic occasions when a vegetated surface is to be mowed. It would be far superior to provide a mowing apparatus which could quickly and easily be attached to and removed from an existing bicycle so that, when not being used to mow a vegetated surface, the apparatus could be conveniently stored while the bicycle could remain useful for normal cycling activities. Furthermore, such a retro-fit structure can be more economical to produce since it would be unnecessary to manufacture the cycle vehicle assembly as part of the device by relying on the wide-spread availability of existing cycle vehicle, such as the common bicycle. Furthermore, it would be advantageous if such a unit were able to adapt to existing mowers without the need for modification.